Elevator



y 1945- M. L. RAMEY 2,375,584

' I ELEVATOR Filed June 12, 1944 2 Sheets-sheaf 1 "mum l ji/Asav 1. 0Y0 RAMEX.

. INVl i'NTOR.

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ATTORNEY.

M. L- RAMEY ELEVATOR j May 8, 1945.

Filed June 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR.

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Patented May 8,1945

ELEVATOR Mason Lloyd Ramey, San Pedro, Calif.

Application June 12, 1944, Serial No. 539,808

7 claim (01. 294 90 This invention relates to elevators used for rais ing and lowering pipe in oil wells and the like.

.These elevators are, designed to engage about a pipe below the collars or other projection on the pipe. The invention more particularly relates to the class of elevators generally known as sidedoor elevators, which consist of a body having a bore with a forwardly opening throat adapted to receive the pipe and a laterally swinging gate for closing the throat of the elevator, the door being hinged to the body at one side of the throat and arranged to engage latching mechanism on the opposite side of the throat.

Elevators for handling drill pipe in oil wells, casing or tubing must withstand heavy loads, must be easy and safe to operate so that the pipe or casing held by the elevator cannot become accidentally dislodged from the elevator and dropped.

It is one of the principal objects of this invention to provide an elevator of the class described of simple form and construction in which means tor in which the door and latching arrangement may be easily manually operated without the usual danger of injury to the workmen.

Other objects and advantages will appear here the following description and drawon a pin or shaft indicated at 3! forwardly of the elevator embodying a form of my invention, the v elevator being shown supporting a pipe;

Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view on line 2-2,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view on line 3-3, Fig. 1, showing the gate in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the gate and latching mechanism shown in Fig. 3; r

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view similar to Fig. 3,

showing the gate in open position;

Fig, 6 is a front elevational view of the elevator shown in Fig. 5 with the gate in open position; and Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the latching mechanism in a position to free the y for manual operation of the door.

recessed as indicated at 23 and is provided with an throat opening for permitting the pipe either to be engaged by or disengaged from theelevator.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the elevator consists of a body indicated at I0 having a vertical semicircular bore or socket indicated at I I for receiving the pipe. This lbore or socket is provided with an open'throat indicated at l2. The elevator is provided with two laterally extending wings illustrated at l3 having opening M to receive links 9 which extend upwardly to the hoisting apparatus. The openings l 4 are closed by blocks l5 dovetailed into the wings as indicated at IS, the blocks being held in place by bolts 1 I which extend through the wings into the blocks. It must be understood that these blocks remain in place during the use of the elevator after the links have been inserted in the holes l4.

Hinged at one side of the throat l2 and forwardly of the center line of the elevator is a swinging door or gate 20 mounted to freely swing on a pin or rod or shaft 2|, the door being provided with a handle 2i. which may be grasped The door is opening or open slot indicated at 24 formed in a rib hereinafter referred to, such opening being arranged tQpermit swinging of the door freely of engagement of a lugon the locking member hereinafter more specifically described. The recess 23 is provided with a fin or rib 25 which is,

adapted to bel'engaged by a, locking member, or latch as hereinafter more specifically described.

On the front of the elevator and opposite to the door 20 is a locking member or latch generally indicated at 30. This locking member is mounted center line of the elevatorwhich extends through bosses 32 formed on the front of the elevator. The hinges of the door 20 and the hinges of the locking member 30 both being forward of the center of the elevator, the elevator is not weakened as is the case where the pivoted point of the door and locking member are near. or on the center line of the elevator.

The locking member or latch is provided with a lug or projection indicated at 33 which extends beyond the inner edge of the locking member indicated at 34. The latch is yieldingly held with the lug 33 extending partially across the open throat of the elevator as shown in Fig. 5. This is accomplished in the following manner. The lower boss 32 is recessed as indicated at 35 to receive a coiled spring indicatedat 36, one end of the spring being secured to the pin or shaft 3| as indicated at 31 and the lower end of the spring being secured to a pin indicated at 38 mounted in the lower boss. The action of this spring is to yieldingly hold the latch in the position shown in Fig. 3, such movement being limited by the engagement of a hump '39 on the locking member or latch engaging the derrick floor and when being used to pull pipe from the well.

In actual use, generally the door of the elevator is standing open at the time when the elevator is caused to engage the pipe, having been left open whenthe previous disengagement was made. As suming that itis desired to engage the pipe in the elevator, the operator manually positions the elevator about the pipe.

In case the door of the elevator is closed and assuming that itis desired to engage the pipe in the elevator, the latch is swung into the position shown in Fig. 7 and the door is manually opened, the operator then manually positioning the elevator about the pipe. This leaves the throat opening to the bore entirely free of the door so that the pipe may be placed in the bore in the position shown in Fig. '7. When the pipe has entirely entered the bore it is then in the position commonly known as the liftingposition. If the pipe does not fully enter the bore of the elevator the tension of the spring on the latch tends to automatically eject the pipe so that it cannot be lifted andpossibly dropped due to the fact that it has not been properly placed in the bore. As the pipe enters the bore it moves the latch against the action of the springtfi and as the pipe enters the bore it presses back the latch into open position by engagement with the lug 33 on the latch, and when the pipe is finally in the bore the latch, due to the action of the spring, moves into the position shown in Fig. 5. When in this position, although the door is open, the pipe indicated at 45 cannot become disengaged fromthe elevator due to the fact that the lug 33 on the latch stands part way. across the throat as shown in Fig. 5.. When the-pipe has been so engaged the door 20 may be swung into closed position as shown inFig, 3 and dur.- ing this movement the fins 25 on the door en-.

to place in locked position, otherwise the pipe 7 that the operator grasps the two handles 42 for gage the front portion of the latch and move the the elevator into what is termed the lifting position, that the elevator will not engage the pipe. This is difierent from the ordinary conventional elevator as with the conventional elevator there is no provision made for insuring that the pipe is in proper position before the lifting operation takesplace, with the result that in many instances accidents result because of only a partial engagement of the elevator under the collar of the .pipe. In other words, to hold the pipe securely, the conventional form of elevator requires a substantial door which it is necessary the purpose of manually positioning the elevator about the pipe as it is held in position by the slips.

When running pipe in the hole, the procedure is partially reversed; that is, the elevator is elevated to the top end of the stands of pipe adjacent to the finger-board of the derrick with the gate standing open. At this point, to manually position the elevator about the top end of the pipe, the operator usually does so by grasping two handles (not shown) which are on the elevator links I5 about two feet above the eyes or openings M, or he may grasp one link l5 andthe handle of the door. At the floor position the operator stands at the back side of the elevator when manually positioning the same on the pipe. At the finger-board position, the operator stands in front of the elevator when be manually positions the same on the pipe.

While I have shown the bore of the elevator with substantially straight walls it is to be understood that the bore may be shaped, as is conventionally done, to accommodate upset tubing or other pipe.

Although one form of the invention has been particularly shown and described, it is contemplated that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention and it is intended to cover such changes and modifications as come within the scope of the claims.

I claim as my invention: A

1, An elevator comprising: a body member having a bore with an open throat; a gate hingedly mounted on the body member arranged to swing in a horizontal plane across the throat into closed position to retain a pipe therein; a

locking member pivotally mounted on said body so as to engage said gate when in closed position,

and a lug on said locking member extending partially across thethroat in the body member when the gate is in open position.

to swing in a horizontal plane across the throat,

into *closed position to retain a pipe therein; a

locking member pivotally mounted on said body I so as toengage said gate when in closed position, a lug on-said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is in open position; and yieldable means engaging said locking member so as to yieldingly hold the locking member with said lug extending partially across the open portion of said throat.

3. An elevator comprising: a body member having a bore with an open throat at one side thereof; a gate member hingedly mountedon the body at one side of. said throat arranged toswing in a horizontal plane across the throat'to close the throat and thereby retain a pipe therein; a locking member pivotally mounted on said body at the opposite side of the opening to engage said gate when in closed position; an extension portion of said throat.

on said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is in open position and spring means mounted on the body member and engageable with the locking member to yieldingly hold the locking member With the extension lonthe locking member extending partially across the openportion of said throat so as to prevent the pipe from becoming disengaged from the elevator when the gate is in open position. l

4. An elevator comprising: a body member having a vertical bore with an open throat at the front thereof; a gate hingedly mounted on said body at the opposite side of said throat, the

the body member at one side of the said throat and forwardly of the center line of the body member, said gate being arranged to swing in a horizontal plane across the throatlinto closed position to engage a pipe in said bore; a locking member pivotally mounted on said body at the other side of said throat and forwardly of the center line of said body member so as to engage the gate when the gate isin closed position; a projection on said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is in open position and yieldable means engaging said locking member so as to yieldingly hold the locking member with said projection extending partially across the open 5. An elevator comprising: a body member having a bore with an open throat; a gate inner edge of said body member being adapted to engage the rib on the gate when the gate is in closed position; a lug on said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is in open position, said lug being freely received in the slot in said rib when the gate is in closed position; yieldable means engaging said locking member so as to yieldably hold the locking member with said lug extending partially across the open portion of said throat; and means on the locking member engageable with thebody member tolimit the movement of said lug across said throat.

7.;An elevator comprising: a body member having averticalbore with an open throat at the front thereof; a gate hingedly mounted on the body member at one side of said throat arranged to swing in a horizontal plane across the throat into closed position to retain a pipe b in said bore; a locking member pivotally mounted hingedly mounted on the body member arranged to swing in ahorizontal plane across the throat into closed position to retain a pipe therein; a

locking member pivotally mounted on said body so as to engage saidgate when in closed position, a lug on said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is in open position; and yieldable means engaging said locking member so as to yieldingly hold the locking member with said lug extending partially across the open portion of said throat; said gate having an opening therein to freely receive the lug on said locking member as the gate moves into closed position.

6. An elevator comprising: a body member on said body on the opposite side of said throat engageable with said gate when the gate is in closed position to hold the gate in such position; a projection on said locking member extending partially across the throat in the body member when the gate is inopen position and yieldable means engaging said locking member so as to yieldingly hold the locking member with said projection thereon extending partially across the open portion of said throat; said gate engaging said locking member during its movement into closed position to move said locking member out of the path of the gate; and said gate having an opening therein to freely receive the lug on the locking member as the gate moves into closed position.

MASON LLOYD RAMEY, 

